“Nicolle..” That voice- again. “Nicolle, save me..” No.. no.. please stop. I don't want to hear! “Nicolle! You have to save me!” This time, his voice grew louder, echoing around me like a ghostly whisper trapped in the air. My shaky hands clamped over my ears, “Go away, please!” I screamed, hoping all of this would stop. Then suddenly.. silence. But the air around me felt.. wrong. A gust of wind swept through, but the trees didn't move. A shadow flickered in the corner of my vision. A chill swept through my body, thought the night remained still. Then, a bright flash lightning cut across the sky, illuminating something, no, someone. Breath caught in my throat. My eyes widened in horror as I stared at the figure before me. He stood there, but his shadow stretched in the wrong direction— toward me. It was him.. but how? This isn't possible.. he's supposed to be dead— “What are you doing here?” I managed to whisper, but he didn't answer my question. He only smiled.. a soft, haunting smile. His arm opened wide, his eyes silently begging me to run into his embrace. I took a step back. My breath came out in short gasps. Something about this wasn't right. I glanced around, feeling a sense of unease creeping into my bones. These unfamiliar surroundings.. Where am I? “Nicolle, look at me,” His voice was soft, but it held an unshakeable weight. I hesitated, then met his gaze.“They said you were dead..” My voice trembled. “Then how are you alive?” I asked, my voice hoarse. He titled his head, his smile never fading. “You believed that?” His voice was almost amused, but his eyes held something deeper.. something unreadable. He took a step forward and I instinctively stepped back. “Do you expect me not to? They said they found a suicide note. Your handwriting.They showed it to me—” Before I could finish, he raised a finger to my lips. “Shh.. stop talking and listen to me.” His touch was ice-cold. My body tensed. Slowly, he removed his hand and stepped back. “I didn't kill myself, nicolle. But someone wanted you to think I did.” He said, taking another step. “You mean it wasn't a suicide?” My stomach twisted at that thought. He didn't answer right away. Instead, he took another step back. His expression darkened, as if he was fighting something— something I couldn't see. “The note wasn't mine. Find the real one, star.” He smiled at me.. one last time, before turning away. “What? What do you mean! Tell me what's going on!” I cried, running after him. “Don't leave! Wait! Sam!” The world blurred. My vision swayed. And then— I tripped. Falling down, down, down.. until the cold ground slammed against me, knocking the breath from my lungs. “Don't.. go.” I whispered, my voice shaking. Pain surged through me, but something else made me freeze. A faint whisper in the wind— his voice, lingering. “Star.. find the truth.” And then again silence. I managed to get up, dizzy, gasping. But something odd caught my interest. A small flicker of movement in the darkness. A piece of paper fluttering where Sam had stood. With shaky hands, I reached for it. The ink was smudged, the words barely visible in the dim light. But as my eyes adjusted, my breath caught in my throat. It was a suicide note. But at the bottom where his name should have been— was mine...

My fingers trembled as I reached for the note, my breath shallow. The paper was rough under my fingertips, the ink smudged but still readable. A suicide note. But not Sam’s. My name was at the bottom. My heart pounded against my ribs. This has to be a mistake. A cruel joke. Maybe i am dreaming. Lightning flashed again, illuminating the empty field around me. My shadow stretched across the wet grass—but Sam’s shadow was gone. The wind howled in my ears. A whisper. “Run.” I spun around, eyes darting in every direction. The trees loomed in the distance, silent and unmoving. The air felt heavy, thick with something unseen. I have to get out of here.. I slipped that piece of paper into my pocket before taking a step. How am I supposed to get out from here? My shoes sinking slightly into the damp earth. The trees loomed ahead tall, ancient, their branches twisting together like clawed fingers. The deeper I looked, the less I could see. The forest swallowed the light, leaving only shadows stretching between the trunks. A chill crawled up my spine. When did I end up here? I didn’t remember walking into a forest. But here I was, surrounded by towering trees, their rough bark blackened by the rain. I took another step. A branch snapped beneath my foot, the sound unnaturally loud in the silence. No birds. No insects. No rustling leaves. Just emptiness. Then—a whisper. Soft. Faint. It curled through the air like smoke. “You shouldn't be here.” I stopped breathing. The whisper hadn't come from behind me. It came from the trees. The shadows shifted. A figure? No.. just the wind. Or at least, that's what I told myself as my heartbeat pounded in my ears. I turned my head slightly, glancing over my shoulder. And that's when I saw it. A set of footprints. Not mine. Fresh. Leading deeper into the trees. My hands curled into fists. I wasn't alone.. I swallowed hard, my breath uneven as I followed the footprints. Each step felt heavier than the last. The trees grew denser, their shadows stretching long and twisted under the pale moonlight. The footprints led me through the thick undergrowth, past gnarled roots and damp soil. Then.. suddenly there were no more trees. I stopped. Before me stood a massive cave entrance, its jagged mouth yawning open like a beast waiting to swallow me whole. The air around it was colder. Too cold. My throat tightened. The footprints ended right at the entrance. I hesitated. “Go in.” A voice. Sam’s voice. My breath hitched. It hadn’t come from behind me. It came from inside the cave. I took a shaky step forward, peering into the darkness. The cave was deep.. too deep. The shadows inside seemed to pulse, shifting like something alive. A single drop of water echoed from within. The sound stretched, long and hollow. Then, beneath the dripping water, I heard something else. Breathing. Slow. Ragged. Not mine. Someone—or something was inside. I should have turned back. I should have run.. I hesitated at the entrance, my breath shallow. The cold air from inside the cave curled around me like invisible fingers. The dim glow ahead flickered, casting shadows that crawled along the jagged walls. I stepped forward. The first thing I noticed was the smell.. damp stone mixed with something metallic. Blood. The walls were covered in deep, erratic scratch marks, as if someone had clawed at the stone with bare hands. Some scratches were fresh, others faded. Layers of desperation. My throat tightened. How many people had been here before me? Then my eyes fell on the ground. A pair of clothes, crumpled and torn. The fabric was soaked in dark, dried blood. The same outfit Sam was wearing the day before he died. A lump formed in my throat. Sam had been here. I turned toward the dim light source, my heart hammering. A small lantern sat in the corner, flickering weakly. Someone had left it burning. Which meant someone else had been here recently. A gust of cold air rushed past me, and for a second—I swore I heard breathing again. Low. Right behind me. I spun around. Nothing. Just the deep, empty tunnel stretching further into the darkness. Then a whisper. “You found it.” Sam’s voice. I swallowed hard, my fingers clenching into fists. “What happened to you?” I whispered back, my voice barely audible. The lantern flickered violently. The shadows shifted. Then, from deeper inside the cave something moved. A rustling sound. Footsteps. Not mine. And then a voice. Not Sam’s. “You shouldn't have come here.”

The light went out.

Darkness swallowed everything.

I spun around, my pulse hammering in my ears. I needed to get out. Now.

I bolted toward the entrance. My footsteps echoed, uneven and frantic. The cave was longer than I remembered. Had I gone in that deep?

No... this isn't right.

The air grew colder with each step, as if something was chasing me, reaching for me. My breath came out in ragged gasps, the darkness pressing in from all sides.

Then i heard them.

Footsteps.

Not mine.

Behind me.

Getting faster.

I forced my legs to move faster, my fingers grazing the damp walls as I stumbled forward. The entrance should be close. I could still remember the way I came in.

But then—the ground beneath me shifted.

My foot caught on something—a rock? No—a hand.

I crashed to the floor. Pain shot through my knees, my palms scraping against the rough stone. I gasped, twisting around—

No one was there.

But I swore—I swore I had felt it.

A hand. Grabbing me.

The cave was silent. Too silent. Even my breathing sounded muffled, like the air itself was swallowing the sound.

I forced myself up, every muscle in my body screaming. The entrance had to be close. It had to be..

I took a shaky step back, my body screaming at me to run.. to get out of here.

But then—the light started flickering.

Off. On. Off. On.

Each time, the cave was swallowed in darkness, only to reveal glimpses of what lay around me.

Then—on the third flicker—I saw it.

Something was written on the wall.

At first, I thought it was just another set of scratches like the others. But as the light flickered again, I saw it more clearly. It was smeared, dripping.

Not scratches.

Words.

Written in blood.

And it looked fresh.

My throat tightened. My breath came out in uneven gasps as I forced myself to look.

The letters were jagged, as if whoever wrote them had no time—or had been in pain.

I swallowed hard and read the words.

“LEAVE. IF YOU WANT TO SURVIVE.”

My heart stopped.

The air suddenly felt heavier, pressing against my skin. Like something was in the cave with me. Watching.

Then—the light flickered again. Not only one time. Twice.

Then—total darkness.

For a moment, all I could hear was the pounding of my own heart, the ragged sound of my breath. I wasn’t alone. I could feel it.

Then—the light turned back on.

My eyes snapped to the wall.

And I froze.

The writing was gone.

The blood completely vanished. The wall was bare, as if nothing had ever been there.

My head spun. No. No, this isn’t possible.

I had just seen it. I knew I had seen it.

A wave of nausea twisted in my stomach. Am I hallucinating? These things doesn't make sense.. this is totally absurd. But just then, I noticed something near a rock. Curiosity got the better of me, and I stepped forward to pick it up.. it was a old locket. I suddenly froze when I sensed something move with a speed that I couldn't caught up.

A chill crept down my spine. Slowly, I turned my head, scanning the cave. The air felt different. Heavier. The lantern’s glow seemed weaker, barely pushing back the shadows.

Then—I heard it.

A faint, slow dripping sound.

I turned toward the noise. My breath hitched.

The blood was still there.

But it wasn’t on the wall anymore.

It was on the floor.

A trail of fresh, glistening drops leading deeper

I swallowed hard, forcing down the rising panic clawing at my throat. I should leave. Every part of me screamed at me to turn back, to run—but i didn't.

With each step, the air grew colder. Thicker. The weak glow of the lantern barely reached the walls now, the darkness stretching further, swallowing everything ahead of me.

Those bloods were everywhere.

The walls, the floor, splattered, smeared, dripping.

My breath came in short, sharp gasps. The smell of iron filled my lungs, burning my throat. My shoes squished against the damp ground.

Then I noticed something worse.

The handprints.

They covered the walls—some small, some large, some with deep scratches trailing beside them.

As if people had tried to claw their way out.

My stomach twisted.

What happened here?